See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-1 to read about factors you should consider before investing in any notes
CERTAIN INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES Certain Canadian Income Tax Considerations
U. S. Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
Backup withholding and information reporting requirements apply to certain payments of principal of, and interest on, an obligation and to proceeds of the sale or redemption of an obligation, to certain
non-corporate holders of notes that are U.S. persons. Information reporting generally will apply to payments of principal of, and interest on, notes, and to proceeds from the sale or redemption of, notes within the United States, or by a U.S. payor or U.S. middleman, to a holder of notes that is a U.S. person (other than an exempt recipient, including a corporation, and certain other persons). The payor will be required to backup withhold on payments made within the United States, or by a U.S. payor or U.S. middleman, on a note to a holder of a note that is a U.S. person, other than an exempt recipient, such as a corporation, if the holder fails to furnish its correct taxpayer identification number or otherwise fails to comply with, or establish an exemption from, the backup withholding requirements.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. You generally will be entitled to credit any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules against your U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) in a timely manner.
Additionally, U.S. Holders that are individuals (and, to the extent provided in future regulations, certain entities) may be required to disclose information about their notes on Form 8938—Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets—if the aggregate value of their notes and their “specified financial assets” exceeds
$50,000 (or other thresholds depending on the individual’s exact circumstances). Significant penalties can apply if a U.S. Holder fails to disclose its specified foreign financial assets. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible implications of this legislation in their particular circumstances.
Recent Legislative Developments
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance provisions of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (“FATCA”) were enacted in March 2010 in an effort to assist the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) in enforcing U.S. taxpayer compliance. FATCA may impose a 30% withholding tax on payments of U.S. source income and on payments of gross proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of property that gives rise to U.S. source dividends or interest (as of 1 January 2017), in each case to (i) certain non-U.S. financial institutions that do not enter into and comply with an agreement to provide the IRS information about their accountholders (as defined for purposes of FATCA), comply with certain rules or law implementing an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the non-U.S. financial institution’s jurisdiction implementing FATCA with respect to such jurisdiction or otherwise qualify for an exemption from, or are deemed to comply with, FATCA (an institution meeting such requirements, a “Compliant FFI”) and (ii) certain other non-U.S. entities that do not provide payors information about their substantial U.S. holders or establish that they have no substantial U.S. holders.
Starting on the later of 1 January 2017 or the date of publication of final U.S. Treasury regulations defining the term “foreign passthru payments” (the “Publication Date”), FATCA may also impose withholding tax on such “foreign passthru payments” relating to obligations issued (or deemed re-issued) after the date that is six months after the Publication Date. Thus, the Issuer may in certain circumstances be required under FATCA to withhold U.S. tax at a rate of 30% on all or a portion of payments of principal and interest which are treated as
“foreign passthru payments” made to (i) non-U.S. financial institutions (whether holding the notes as a beneficial owner or intermediary) unless the payee is a Compliant FFI or (ii) any holders that do not provide information sufficient to determine whether the payee is a U.S. person (“Recalcitrant Holders”). Whether or not FATCA withholding tax could apply to “foreign passthru payments” on the notes may depend upon an applicable intergovernmental agreement (“IGA”) relating to FATCA between the United States and the jurisdiction of the Issuer, Guarantor or the applicable Issuer Branch of Account.
Specifically, the United States and a number of other jurisdictions have announced their intention to negotiate IGAs to facilitate the implementation of FATCA. Pursuant to FATCA and the “Model 1” IGA released
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by the United States, an FFI in an IGA signatory country could be treated as a Reporting Financial Institution (“Reporting FI”) not subject to withholding under FATCA on any payments it receives. Further, an FFI in a Model 1 IGA jurisdiction would not be required to withhold under FATCA or an IGA (or any law implementing an IGA) from payments it makes unless it has agreed to do so under the U.S. “qualified intermediary,”
“withholding foreign partnership,” or “withholding foreign trust” regimes. Under the Model 1 IGA, a Reporting FI would still be required to report certain information in respect of its account holders and investors to its home government or to the IRS. The United States and Canada have entered into an agreement (the “US-Canada IGA”) based largely on the Model 1 IGA.
The Issuer expects to be treated as a Reporting FI pursuant to the US-Canada IGA. However, the FATCA rules, and in particular the rules governing foreign passthru payments, have not yet been fully developed, so the future application of FATCA to the Issuer and the holders of notes is uncertain. Noteholders may be required to provide certain information to the Issuer or other payors in order (i) for holders to avoid FATCA withholding from payments on the notes, (ii) for the Issuer to avoid the imposition of a FATCA withholding tax on payments to it or (iii) for the Issuer to comply with the rules under FATCA (including laws implementing an IGA
thereunder). If a holder (including an intermediary) fails to provide the Issuer, or any other agent of the Issuer with any correct, complete and accurate information that may be required for the Issuer to comply with FATCA and/or to prevent the imposition of FATCA withholding tax, the Issuer may withhold amounts otherwise distributable to the holder.
The requirements of the US-Canada IGA have been implemented through amendments to the Canadian Income Tax Act and the enactment of the Canada-United States Enhanced Tax Information Exchange Agreement Implementation Act (the “US-Canada IGA Implementation Act”). Under the provisions of the US-Canada IGA Implementation Act, CIBC is required to determine whether financial accounts are held by U.S. persons and must report information on certain accounts owned or controlled by U.S. taxpayers, directly to the Canada Revenue Agency (the “CRA”). CIBC may be required to collect information from holders of notes (other than notes that are regularly traded on an established securities market for purposes of the IGA), including such holders’ status as a “Specified U.S. Persons” (as defined in the IGA) and report information regarding such holders’ investment in the notes to the CRA.
No additional amounts will be paid in respect of any U.S. tax withheld under the FATCA rules from payments on the notes. Potential investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the implications of the FATCA rules for their investment in notes, including the implications resulting from the status under these rules of each financial intermediary through which they hold notes.
While the notes are in global form and held within a clearing system, it is expected that FATCA will not affect the amount of any payments made under, or in respect of, the notes by the Issuer, any paying agent or the depositary, given that each of the entities in the payment chain beginning with the Issuer and ending with the relevant clearing system is a major financial institution whose business is dependent on compliance with FATCA and that any alternative approach introduced under an intergovernmental agreement will be unlikely to affect the securities. However, FATCA may affect payments made to custodians or intermediaries in the subsequent payment chain leading to the ultimate investor if any such custodian or intermediary generally is unable to receive payments free of FATCA withholding. It also may affect payment to any ultimate investor that is a financial institution that is not entitled to receive payments free of withholding under FATCA, or an ultimate investor that fails to provide its broker (or other custodian or intermediary from which it receives payment) with any information, forms, other documentation or consents that may be necessary for the payments to be made free of FATCA withholding.
SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We and CIBC World Markets Corp., as agent, have entered into a distribution agreement with respect to the notes. We may appoint agents, other than or in addition to CIBC World Markets Corp., with respect to the notes.
Any other agent will enter into a distribution agreement with us. The other agents may be affiliates or customers of the Bank and may engage in transactions with and perform services for the Bank in the ordinary course of business. CIBC World Markets Corp. may resell notes to or through another selling agent, which may include another of our affiliates. The agent or agents through whom the notes will be offered will be identified in the applicable pricing supplement.
Subject to certain conditions, an agent will use its reasonable efforts to solicit purchases of the notes. We have the right to accept offers to purchase notes and may reject any proposed purchase of the notes. An agent may also reject any offer to purchase notes. We will pay an agent a commission, which will be set forth in the applicable pricing supplement, on any notes sold through such agent.
We may also sell Notes to an agent, who will purchase the notes as principal for its own account. In that case, the agent will purchase the notes at a price equal to the issue price specified in the applicable pricing supplement, less a discount to be agreed with us at the time of the offering.
An agent may resell any notes it purchases as principal to other brokers or dealers at a discount, which may include all or part of the discount the agent received from us. If all the notes are not sold at the initial offering price, the agent may change the offering price and the other selling terms.
We may also sell notes directly to investors. We will not pay commissions on notes we sell directly.
We have reserved the right to withdraw, cancel or modify the offer made by this prospectus supplement without notice and may reject orders in whole or in part. No termination date has been established for the offering of the notes.
An agent, whether acting as agent or principal, may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). We have agreed to indemnify the agents against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments made in respect of those liabilities.
If an agent sells notes to dealers who resell to investors and the agent pays the dealers all or part of the discount or commission it receives from us, those dealers may also be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act.
Unless otherwise indicated in any pricing supplement, payment of the purchase price of notes, other than notes denominated in a non-U.S. dollar currency, will be required to be made in funds immediately available in The City of New York. The notes will be in the Same Day Funds Settlement System at DTC and, to the extent the secondary market trading in the notes is effected through the facilities of such depositary, such trades will be settled in immediately available funds.
The notes are a new issue of securities, and there will be no established trading market for any note before its original issue date. We do not plan to list the notes on a securities exchange or quotation system. An agent may make a market in the notes offered through it. However, neither CIBC World Markets Corp. nor any of our other affiliates nor any other agent named in the applicable pricing supplement that makes a market is obligated to do so, and any of them may stop doing so at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity or trading market for the notes.
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This prospectus supplement may be used by CIBC World Markets Corp. in connection with offers and sales of the notes in market-making transactions. In a market-making transaction, CIBC World Markets Corp. may resell a note it acquires from other holders after the original offering and sale of the note. Resales of this kind may occur in the open market or may be privately negotiated, at prevailing market prices at the time of resale or at related or negotiated prices. In these transactions, CIBC World Markets Corp. may act as principal or agent, including as agent for the counterparty in a transaction in which CIBC World Markets Corp. acts as principal, or as agent for both counterparties in a transaction in which CIBC World Markets Corp. does not act as principal.
CIBC World Markets Corp. may receive compensation in the form of discounts and commissions, including from both counterparties in some cases. Other affiliates of the Bank (in addition to CIBC World Markets Corp.) may also engage in transactions of this kind and may use this prospectus supplement for this purpose.
Unless the Bank or an agent informs you in your confirmation of sale that your note is being purchased in its original offering and sale, you may assume that you are purchasing your note in a market-making transaction.
The aggregate initial offering price specified on the cover of this prospectus supplement relates to the initial offering of new notes we may issue on and after the date of this prospectus supplement. This amount does not include notes that may be resold in market-making transactions. The latter includes notes that we may issue going forward as well as notes we have previously issued.
The Bank does not expect to receive any proceeds from market-making transactions. The Bank does not expect that any dealer that engages in these transactions will pay any proceeds from its market-making resales to the Bank.
Information about the trade and settlement dates, as well as the purchase price, for a market-making transaction will be provided to the purchaser in a separate confirmation of sale.
In this prospectus supplement, the term “this offering” means the initial offering of the notes made in connection with their original issuance. This term does not refer to any subsequent resales of notes in market-making transactions.
An agent may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Over-allotment involves syndicate sales in excess of the offering size, which creates a syndicate short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the notes in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. Penalty bids permit reclaiming a selling concession from a syndicate member when the notes originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. Such stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the notes, which may be higher than it would otherwise be in the absence of such transactions. Agents are not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.
In addition to offering notes through agents as discussed above, other medium-term notes that have terms substantially similar to the terms of the notes offered by this prospectus supplement may in the future be offered, concurrently with the offering of the notes, on a continuing basis by the Bank. Any of these notes sold pursuant to the distribution agreement or sold by the Bank directly to investors will reduce the aggregate amount of notes which may be offered by this prospectus supplement.
Delivery of the notes will be made against payment therefor on or about the issue date specified in the applicable pricing supplement. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market are generally required to settle three business days after the securities are priced, unless the parties to such trade
expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, if the settlement date is more than three business days after the pricing date of any issuance of notes, purchasers who wish to trade such notes more than three business days before the settlement date for the issuance of such notes will be required to specify an alternative settlement cycle at the time of any such trade in order to prevent failed settlement in the secondary market transaction; such purchasers should consult their own advisors in this regard.
Conflicts of Interest
CIBC World Markets Corp., is an affiliate of the Bank and, as such, has a “conflict of interest” in this offering within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121, as administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA. Consequently, this offering is being conducted in compliance with the applicable provisions of Rule 5121. In general, under that rule, no qualified independent underwriter is expected to be required. CIBC World Markets Corp. is not permitted to sell notes in this offering to accounts over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder. Furthermore, under no circumstances will underwriting compensation exceed 8% of the offering proceeds.
Selling Restrictions Outside the United States
The Bank has taken no action that would permit a public offering of the notes or possession or distribution of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or any other offering material in any jurisdiction outside the United States where action for that purpose is required other than as described below. Accordingly, the agent has agreed, and each other agent will be required to agree, that:
• it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations in force in any jurisdiction in which it purchases, offers or sells notes or possesses or distributes this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or any other offering material and will obtain any consent, approval or permission required by it for the purchase, offer or sale by it of notes under the laws and regulations in force in any jurisdiction to which it is subject or in which it makes such purchases, offers or sales and the Bank shall have no responsibility in relation to this; and
• it will not offer or sell any notes purchased by it, directly or indirectly, in Canada or to any resident of Canada without the consent of the Bank, and further agrees that it will include a comparable provision in any sub-underwriting, banking group or selling group agreement or similar arrangement with respect to any notes that may be entered into by such agent.
With regard to each note, the relevant purchaser will be required to comply with those restrictions that the
With regard to each note, the relevant purchaser will be required to comply with those restrictions that the